The Gibson’s Finest Whisky brand was purchased by William Grant & Sons in 2002. Some time after the acquisition, William Grant & Sons moved the production of Gibson’s Whisky from the Schenley plant in Valleyfield Quebec, to the Hiram Walker Distillery in Windsor, Ontario. According to my correspondence with the media company responsible for Gibson’s Finest Whisky, the Gibson’s brand is produced from of two sources: a base grain whisky (which would be a corn-based column still whisky), and a blend of rye based flavouring whisky which contains rye and malted barley (distilled by a single column still and a pot still).
When aging their whisky, Gibson’s Finest uses a variety of barrels: ex-bourbon barrels, new oak barrels, etc. The ratio of each barrel-type used can differ from batch to batch because the whisky is blended to a specific taste profile rather than to a specific barrel regimen.
Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 Years Old Whisky is limited to a production of not more than 12,000 bottles per year. All of the whisky in the blend, is of course 18 years old or more, and it is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume. It is also the Number 5 spirit in my Top 25 Canadian Whisky Countdown. Here is a link to my review published earlier this year:
# 5 Canadian Whisky – Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 Years Old
Gibson’s Finest Rare 18 Years Old gives the whisky connoisseur all the clean spicy oak and rye flavours which our Whisky is famous for. Although there are many other wonderful nuances within this 18 Year Old whisky; these nuances within are subtle and serve as accents upon the flavour profile without disturbing the grandeur which is Canadian Whisky.
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Note: You may follow my Countdown list of the 25 Best Canadian Whiskies here: The Rum Howler 2013 – Top 25 Canadian Whiskies
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